I rode cages for over 15yrs up until a couple of weeks ago. Fell over a few times and recently fell out of the cages a couple of times on xc stuff. No dh/freeride here.
I broke my cages and decided to go with a set of Crank Bros eggbeater SL’s and Lake shoes. I feel attached to the bike but when it’s time to unhook it’s almost automatic to step out and unhook. I’m sure a situation will come up where I fall over because I can’t get unhooked but even if you ride platforms eventually you fall over.
A buddy who just started riding is resisting any type of hook up to the bike. When we ride he is constantly getting his feet knocked off the peddles from the bumps.
I prefer the eggbeaters but wouldn’t hesitate to ride cages again. I doubt if I would ride any single track with out some type of hook to the bike. It just wouldn’t feel safe to me.
Try several setups and go with what works best for you.
Rider up!